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29 Sep 2008 : Column 2356W—continued
Revenue and Customs: Manpower
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many HM Revenue and Customs staff were based at each (a) port of entry and (b) airport as at 31 December 2007. [223109]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 10 September 2008]: As at 31 December 2007, HM Revenue and Customs had approximately 4,500 frontline operational staff deployed at entry points across the UK. Officers are deployed to tackle smuggling at the frontier on an intelligence-led basis where risk is greatest.
HM Revenue and Customs does not disclose the numbers of staff deployed to specific locations, as to do so could provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.
Security: European Union
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with Council of Europe member states on the development of a European Union Standing Committee on Internal Security; and what powers are proposed for the committee. [219488]
Jacqui Smith: There have been no ministerial discussions on the development of a Standing Committee on Internal Security (COSI) with European Union member states.
COSI would be created under Article 61D of the Lisbon Treaty which specifies that 'a standing committee shall be set up within the Council to ensure that operational cooperation on internal security is promoted and strengthened within the Union'. Under the Lisbon Treaty the exact role and remit of COSI would have to be agreed by the member states. The Government believe that the Committee should ensure that work to promote EU law enforcement co-operation, judicial cooperation in criminal matters and border management cooperation is coherent and effective in supporting the delivery of member states' public protection priorities.
Surveillance
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unauthorised surveillances were discovered by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners in each of the last five years. [223294]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 10 September 2008]: Covert surveillance activities which are unlikely to result in the obtaining of private information about a person do not require authorisation under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and figures for these operations are not obtained by the OSC.
Since 2004-05, law enforcement agencies have been required to report to the Chief Surveillance Commissioner “all covert operations in which statutory requirements have not been observed and also cases which fail in court on account of defects in covert surveillance”. Figures for these have been published in the last two annual reports, covering 2006-07 and 2007-08, and are 67 and 56 respectively.
Surveillance: Local Authorities
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy to require local authorities to publish their inspection reports from the Office of Surveillance Commissioners. [223625]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 15 September 2008]: We have no plans to do so. The Office of Surveillance Commissioners is independent of Government. The disclosure of inspection reports, including those relating to local authorities, is a matter for the Chief Surveillance Commissioner.
Terrorism: Asylum
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been denied asylum on the grounds of participation in terrorism since the announcement of the then Prime Minister’s 12 point plan in August 2005. [224125]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 September 2008]: The UK Border Agency achieves this by excluding those who have participated in terrorism from asylum under article 1F of the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The statistics relating to exclusion from the 1951 Convention under article 1F do not differentiate between those who are refused asylum on grounds of participation in terrorism or for other grounds which are covered within article 1F. It is therefore not possible to give a precise figure in answer to the hon. Gentleman’s question, except at disproportionate cost.
Terrorism: British Nationality
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been stripped of UK citizenship under the provisions of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2005 as outlined in the 12-point plan announced by the then Prime Minister in August 2005. [224124]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 September 2008]: Orders depriving individuals of their British citizenship have been issued in two cases under section 40 of the British Nationality Act 1981, since its amendment by section 56 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.
Terrorism: Entry Clearances
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been (a) deported and (b) excluded from the UK on the grounds of fomenting extremism under the 12-point plan announced by the then Prime Minister in August 2005, broken down by quarter. [224121]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 17 September 2008]: We have taken the term “fomenting extremism” as equating to unacceptable behaviour under the policy announced by my right hon. Friend, the then Home Secretary on 24 August 2005. On this basis, the figures are:
| Number | |
| (1) From August 2005 (2 )To 16 September 2008 | |
Terrorism: Extradition
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been extradited for terrorism-related offences since the announcement of the then Prime Minister’s 12-point plan in August 2005, broken down by quarter; and how many requests for extradition for terrorism-related offences (a) are outstanding and (b) have been made since August 2005. [224122]
Meg Hillier [holding answer 17 September 2008]: As a matter of policy and practice, the Home Office will neither confirm nor deny the existence of any extradition request ahead of a person’s arrest.
Since August 2005, 13 people have been extradited by the UK for terrorism-related offences; five people have been discharged by UK courts; five cases are ongoing and one case was withdrawn by the Requesting State. The following table gives a breakdown of these figures.
The UK has not issued any extradition requests for people suspected of terrorist-related offences in this time.
| Extradition requests for terrorist-related offences since August 2005 | |||
| Number | Arrested | Status as at 17 September 2008 | |
| Note: There are currently four other cases before the courts which were received before August 2005. | |||
UK Border Agency: Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will instruct the UK Border Agency to provide a substantive response to the hon. Member for Walsall, North's letter of 11 August concerning a constituent, ref. B27195/8. [224018]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 September 2008]: The UK Border Agency wrote to my hon. Friend on 12 September.
UK Border Agency: Drug Seizures
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what drug seizures have been made by or with the operational involvement of the revenue cutters operating in the Maritime Section of the UK Border Agency and its predecessors in each year since 1996-97; and what the (a) date of seizure, (b) type of drug seized, (c) quantity of drug seized, (d) location of operation, (e) vessel intercepted and (f) designation of cutter was in each case. [223113]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 10 September 2008]: UK Border Agency cutters are deployed on an intelligence- led basis to areas of highest identified risk. It is longstanding HM Revenue and Customs policy not to divulge details of operational deployments, locations and seizures as these could provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent relevant controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention of crime.
UK Border Agency: Standards
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what revenue protection targets have been set for the UK Border Agency. [223102]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 10 September 2008]: Revenue protection targets for the UK Border Agency were published on the 3 April 2008 as part of the UK Border Agency Business Plan, April 2008 to March 2011.
1. Seize in the range of 1.4 to 1.9 billion illicit cigarettes targeted on the UK.
2. Seize in the range of 175 to 375 tonnes of illicit hand rolling tobacco targeted on the UK.
3. Increase by 5 per cent. over 2007-08 totals the number of frontier interceptions of high risk alcohol consignments which are referred for sanctions.
4. Increase by 10 per cent. over 2007-08 totals the number of seizures of commercial consignments of spirits referred for additional sanctions.
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